Aerospace vehicles are being designed and manufactured with greater percentages of composite materials. For example, composites may be used in the construction of various primary and secondary structures in aerospace applications, such as composite panels forming the airframe and/or exterior skin (e.g., fuselage, wings, etc.) of an aircraft. Use of composites may increase the strength, decrease the weight, and provide a longer service life of various components of the aerospace vehicle.
However, aerospace vehicles having composite components, such as skin panels, may require application of additional materials for lightning strike protection and/or to shield associated avionics and electronics from external electromagnetic interference. Such additional materials may undesirably increase the weight of the aerospace vehicle and increase the time and cost of production.
Accordingly, those skilled in the art continue with research and development efforts in the field of composite materials.